


A Passion for an Alchemist

by SusanShining



Series: One-shots [4]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Slavery, Stockholm Syndrome, Unhappy Ending, Varian Needs a Hug (Disney)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27356575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SusanShining/pseuds/SusanShining
Summary: After Varian steals the sundrop flower, he's done with Corona, and after multiple months, how will the gang react to finding him?
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Series: One-shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997542
Comments: 26
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, here’s something that I cooked up to satisfy my need for fanfic of this post:  
> https://jade-kyo.tumblr.com/post/624570552935497728/au-where-instead-of-fighting-with-the-automaton   
> except where she does it after SOtSD, I do it after The Alchemist Returns so-

“You know, if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.” a voice said behind Eugene and his head snapped up. Whirling around, he looked past the bars of his cell and was met with a small boy that looked almost… familiar.  
“Who are you?” he asked the figure and winced as Lance groaned awake from beside him.  
“You know, that kinda hurts, but we don’t have time for that.” the boy stepped out of the shadows and Eugene gasped, but before he could ask any questions, the boy pulled out a lock-pick from his pocket and began to work on the cell’s lock. “We don’t have much time, the distraction will only last so long, and we still need to head back to my lab for an antidote to help your friend there.”

“Varian? What are you doing here?” Yes, it was him. Sure, his outfit had changed to a more… punk-ish mirror to the one previous, a red shirt with a black outline now, and his apron was a dark purple color, but there was no mistaking his signature blue stripe and goggles on his forehead. “No one’s seen you since you stole the flower! We thought that you’d-”

“Died? Not really. Came close though.” The boy chuckled a bit and grinned as the cell’s door swung open and the boy rushed in, motioning Eugene to help him pick up Lance’s large form. “And to answer your question on what I’m doing here, well, let’s just say the Baron’s daughter found it in herself to keep me around.”  
“Stalyan? Why would she want you?” Eugene blurted out but immediately regretted it when the teen winced.  
“She doesn’t _want_ anything.” the teen told him. “But we do have to earn out keep here, and, as it turns out, goop-traps that you can trap your enemies in can be pretty useful when you’re trying to steal something.” Varian let out a small laugh and they headed out the cell’s door, supporting Lance’s arms between them.

“So… they’re using you.” Eugene frowned.

“What? No!” Varian almost dropped his side of Lance when he stumbled. “I’m more of a… helpful asset to them, so it’s not-”

“Kid! The only reason the Baron keeps kids around is to take advantage of their talents.” Eugene informed him. “That’s why he’s keeping you around. He’s not your friend.”  
“Oh! So you’re saying that if someone only hangs out with you for your talents, then it’s a toxic and abusive relationship?” Varian plastered a fake smile on his face before scowling. “Well, it sure wouldn’t be the first!” Varian snapped and glared at him.

The man raised an eyebrow as they headed down the hallway. “Well aren’t you one to talk with how you treated Rapun-”

“And you with how you treated Stalyan?” Varian countered. “Can you honestly tell me that you didn’t just use her and her emotions to get in with the Baron?” Eugene went quiet and the conversation died down, but he couldn’t resist one last question. 

“Why are you helping me?”  
Varian didn’t answer him for a few moments. “It… it just feels like the right thing, you know? And… I know how much you and Rapunzel rely on each other. It doesn’t feel right that you two should be separated.” _Like I was from my father._ His tone hinted at, but he only said “And besides, we’re Team Awesome right?”

Eugene let out a small laugh and thought it best to leave things at that and they passed doorway after doorway until Varian stopped at a steel one and pushed himself away from the two men, going to open the door. 

“This is my room, the exit is down that way. You should go on ahead and I’ll bring the antidote to the giant oak tree on the east side of town.” Varian handed the man a small vial filled with pink liquid. “This should slow the process until I’m able to get it to you, but if I’m not able to slip away to it, I’ll send a friend with the antivenom. Codeword: Flynnolium. Stay hidden until those words are said, and leave Vardaros as fast as you can. Got it?” he turned to enter his chambers but Eugene grabbed hold of the teen’s hand and stopped him.  
“Wait! Hold on, you’re not coming with us? Varian, we can’t just leave you here.” he sighed when Varian narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the man. “Look, I know we didn’t exactly leave off on good terms, but you can’t honestly tell me that you’re happy here! And when the Baron finds out you helped me-”

“I can take care of myself!” Varian ripped his arm out of Eugene’s grip. “And it’s none of your business  _ Flynn  _ I’m perfectly-” he was cut off suddenly when loud voices echoed down the hallway. “Now go!”

Eugene nodded and began to walk down the hallway, but stopped and turned to the boy. “Thank you, Varian.” The boy nodded and shut the door behind him.

\-------------

Getting out of the Baron’s house was surprisingly easy. Once he got to the exit, there was an explosion that sounded on the other side of the building and distracted the remaining guards. It was only a matter of sneaking out of Vardaros before anyone alerted the Baron to his escape and finding Rapunzel.

“Eugene!” his girlfriend rushed down the hill to meet him and strangled him in a hug. “You’re back!” she gave his lips a quick peck and pulled him back to study his figure. “Are you okay? How did you get out? What happened to Lance? Who was that ‘Stalyan’ person? I’m so sorry we couldn’t get you-” she was cut off when Eugene brought her into a deep passionate kiss.  
“I missed you too Blondie.” he hugged her tightly when they broke off for air. “But we probably should get into a hiding spot before the Baron comes after us.”

\-------------

“Eugene are you sure about-”

“Blondie, I already told you. This is Lance’s _last shot._ If we don’t get the antivenom-”  
“I know.” Rapunzel looked down sadly from their position in the tree. “I know, but…   
“Can we really trust Varian?” Cassandra jumped in. “He stole the s\Sundrop flower, poisoned everyone, _used_ Rapunzel, and-” she sighed. “Eugene, what if he doesn’t even come?”

“I can’t think about that,” he told her. “And besides-” he pointed to a shadowy figure approaching them through the brush. “There he is.” The figure stepped into the clearing and the group tensed.  _ Vex? What was  _ she  _ doing here?  _

The girl looked around the surrounding trees and held out a small orange vial. “Common out, Varian sent me with this thing. Said that you’d need it.”

Rapunzel made the move to go forward, but Eugene stopped her. “Not yet.”

Vex tapped her foot impatiently. “I don’t have all day! If you’re not going to come out, maybe I’ll just take this and leave!” she began to head back the way she came. “How about that?”

Eugene wanted to stay silent, he really did, but if she left with that antivenom… “Wait!” he jumped down from the tree and Vex halted. “Just… We’ll take that antivenom now.”

Vex looked almost regretful when she shook her head. “Sorry, Rider, but I can’t do that.”

“Get them!” a voice demanded and suddenly the clearing was full of armed thugs.

“Eugene!” Rapunzel hopped down from the tree, hair undone and at the ready. “What’s the plan?”

“Get that antivenom and get the heck out of here.” he drew his sword and Cassandra hopped down to the floor with them.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” a rough voice sounded in front of them and the shadows parted to reveal the Baron holding a gagged struggling figure by the throat.  
“Varian!” Eugene made a move to lunge forward but the Baron pulled out a knife and pressed it against the boy’s chin, causing the teen to freeze.

“Not so fast Rider, you still haven’t fulfilled your side of the agreement.”

“Baron, look, we all know that I’m not going to be a good husband to your daughter, so do we really-”

“He’s right.” Stalyan came out of the shadows and placed her hand on her father’s arm. “It’s not worth it dad, besides, Rider’s already going to pay without the antivenom, let’s just leave well enough alone, and let him leave.”

“Hold on, we are  _ not  _ leaving without that vial,” Rapunzel growled and Eugene nodded.

“So just hand it over, and we’ll leave,” he told them, but Stalyan just laughed.

“Sorry, but you are in no position to demand  _ anything. _ So, if you don’t mind, I think it’s about time you leave Vardaros.  _ Now.” _

“But-”

“She’s right, Flynn,” Cassandra grabbed his arm and began to tug him away. “We need to go.”

Eugene stared at her with shock written all over his face. “But Lance-”

“We’ll find another way to save him, but  _ not now. _ ” the lady-in-waiting hissed and began to tug at his arm more fiercely. She subtly jerked her head to a hidden raccoon waiting in the bushes and he understood, but not without one more thing.

“We’ll come back for him, don’t worry,” Rapunzel whispered, seeming to read his thoughts, then out loud she said. “Eugene, we can’t fight them all.”

He paused, but, with one last glance at Varian, he followed both Rapunzel and Cassandra out of Vardaros.

\-------------

“I don’t know why you even tried, and I’m not sure you do either.” her voice told him from his bedroom doorway.

Varian didn’t say anything, just curling his legs up to his chest and hugging them tighter. His ribs ached, he couldn’t see well with his left eye swelling shut, he wouldn’t be able to walk on his legs for a few days, and his right arm was probably broken after his little…  _ talk  _ with the Baron about letting Eugene out. Ruddiger wasn’t here, everything hurt, Stalyan was mad at him, and he didn’t want to deal with any lectures right now. Not that he didn’t deserve any of it. 

“They’re not going to forgive you kid, and I’m not even sure you need them to.” she sighed and walked into the almost empty chamber, heels clicking on the floor’s stone tiles. It was a small room, with his alchemy supplies on one side of the room, and his bed and chest of trinkets on the other. There wasn’t much, he couldn’t afford to set anything on fire if one of his chemicals exploded. Which was also why the door was metal. 

Supposedly. 

Bending down to his level, she brushed his bangs away and tutted at the silent tears streaming down his cheeks. “Now, now, none of that. You should be glad my father is even letting you live after betraying him. But don’t worry, as long as you don’t try anything like that again, no one’s going to hurt you.”

_ “You’re not coming with us? Varian, we can’t just leave you here.”  _

Did Eugene really mean that? Then why did they just barely leave him? Not that he was really that surprised. Did he even want them to come back? What if they just decided that it was best if he just went into a jail cell where thieves like him belonged?

His fists clenched and he shut his eyes, trying to quiet his raging thoughts. His handcuffs distantly clanked together, but he didn’t really want to pay attention to that at the moment.

Stalyan sighed from beside him. “I  _ did  _ try and warn you, Varian. Flynn Rider isn’t the noble and loyal person that you read about in those storybooks. Once he finds something, he uses it up until all that’s left is an empty glass. Then he throws it away.”

_ “So… they’re using you.” _

_ “What? No!” _

_ “The only reason the Baron keeps kids around is to take advantage of their talents.” _

_ “Wouldn’t be the first.” _

“Are you mad?” he asked her hesitantly. “About me helping Eugene get away?”

She thought about it for a second before answering. “I think things played out for the best. Eugene and I wouldn’t have been happy together, and I think it was best that he left our lives for good.”

She patted his shoulder and draped his thin blanket over his shoulders. “Now, how about you get some sleep? You’ll need it.” he sensed her stand up and walk towards the door but stopped. “It’s best if you just forget about them, they never deserved us anyway.” and with that, she exited and closed the door, leaving him in darkness.

\-------------

“Kid! We need to get out of here, wake up!” Varian jerked awake and yelped in pain as his shoulder was shaken roughly. “Sorry,” the blonde figure apologized. “But you need to get up, the guards are going to be here any minute!”

“Rapunzel? What- How did you-? Why-” Varian held his injured arm close, scooting away from the princess, but doing so sent pain coursing threw his legs and he bit back a scream. 

“You really think we’d just leave you with these people?” the princess gave him a small smile, but Varian only scowled.

“What makes you think I  _ want _ to leave?” he snapped. “I was doing  _ just fine  _ before you and your little band of liars came and ruined everything.”

Rapunzel’s face fell for a moment before her eyes caught sight of his arm’s bent form and her gaze hardened. “But… they hurt you- They’re going to  _ keep  _ hurting you, Varian! I’m not just going to-”

“You should!” the alchemist scooted even farther away from the princess. “I… Everything’s gone wrong since I’ve met you! Why can’t you see that? Why do you keep making my life worse and worse? What did I ever do that made everyone abandon me?”

Rapunzel scowled. “Really? You steal the flower, lie to me,  _ use  _ me, drug everyone, and ask what you did? Can you honestly  _ not  _ know-”

“Yes!” he winced as his arm moved and glared at the princess when she instinctively reached out to help. “Don’t touch me! You’ve done enough.” he tensed averted her eyes, but the princess wasn’t giving up that easily.

“Varian, look, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you during the blizzard, my kingdom needed me, and I had to stay, but I’m here  _ now _ . And Cass, Eugene, and I aren’t going to leave you behind-

“Is that a  _ promise,  _ princess?” he spat the word out like it was a curse.

Rapunzel opened her mouth to retort but cut herself off when they heard the ring of swords clashing out his door. Turning desperately to Varian, she caught hold of his left wrist and stood up, wincing as it forced him to put pressure on his legs and he yelped. “ _ Please,  _ Varian. We don’t have much time!”

“You’re not listening!” he yelled at her. “I. Don’t. Want. Your. Help!”

“Raps!” Cassandra rushed into the room, surveying the scene for a moment. “We need to go! What’s taking so long?”

“Cass, he’s not coming!” the princess informed her and the lady-in-waiting let out a tired sigh. Striding over to where the teen was glaring at them from his position on the floor.

“Common kid, I don’t want to have to carry you.”

“No! I’m not leaving with you! Why can’t you just go?” he shrank under the older woman’s gaze, but his glare remained in place. “I’m  _ not  _ going with you. So why don’t you just leave while you have the chance?”

Cass frowned. “Kid, you’re saying this with a broken arm and bruises covering your entire person, so forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical with your refusal to leave.”

“And you’re saying this as the captain of the guard’s daughter.” he countered. “So forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical about  _ your  _ idea of how to treat former thieves.”

Cassandra couldn’t hold back a scoff. “ _ Former?  _ And are you sure about that Hairstripe? Because the only thing I’m seeing here is a criminal rotting away in a jail cell,” she gestured to the stone room around them, “I see a kid who drugged the entire castle, abuse someone who cared about him’s trust, lied to and attacked the kingdom, all to steal from the crown to satisfy his own selfish needs!” she scowled. “So “ _ forgive me”  _ if I can’t see why we shouldn’t leave you here right now.”

Varian reeled back. “ _Selfish needs?_ Do you really want to talk about _selfishness_ with me _Cassie_? How about a king that was too stuck-up and tyrannic that he sent guards- your _dad-_ after a _child_ to cover up his own mess! How about a princess that was too ashamed of lying to someone that everything was going to be fine that she _ignored_ him for _three months_? Leaving him to be chased around the countryside by her father’s men that wouldn’t hesitate to run a sword through if given the chance?” his voice got louder and louder with every sentence as his words pushed the women both literally and figuratively away from him. 

“How about someone who watched as someone she called  _ friend  _ was thrown into a deadly blizzard and didn’t even bother to help?” he was standing up now, legs screaming in pain, but he didn’t care. Now that the dam wasn’t holding them back, there was no stopping the words that he had held deep inside himself for the past months from tumbling out, crushing everything in their path.

“How about citizens that were too self-absorbed in their own lives that they couldn’t even find it in themselves to care about their  _ oh so precious royals  _ were lying to their faces! How about an  _ entire kingdom  _ casting out one of their own because of a storming  _ rumor. _ No! Let’s talk about the kid that all he ever did was try and help out his home, so much so that he took it upon himself to go against his father’s orders just to help with a problem that  _ he had no obligation _ to take care of because the king should have been taking care of it anyway, causing him to lose the only person that ever really cared about me!” his cheeks were damp.  _ He had been crying. _ Why was he in the hallway? Stalyan and Eugene were there. Why were they all looking at him like that?

Rapunzel was staring at him, eyes wide. “I…” her voice went quiet. “Varian, I’m…” what was she supposed to say? “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I… I didn’t know.”

Varian paused, he was shaking. Whether from pain or rage, he didn’t know, he didn’t care. “That’s _ it?  _ You chased me out of my home, lied to me, manipulated my emotions, pretended that we were friends, made me think that we would actually work together to save the kingdom and- and that’s  _ it?” _ he brought his hands up to his face and brushed away the tears. They  _ would not  _ get to see him like this. “‘I didn’t know?’ That’s all you have to say?” he let out a dark laugh and glared at the princess. “Not: ‘That was wrong,’ or, ‘I’ll do better.’ Not even an ‘I’m SORRY?’” 

The hallway was quiet. The fighting had stopped. Not even the horses in the corner were making a sound.

“I  _ am  _ sorry, Varian,” Rapunzel said after a beat. “I… I was just so  _ scared  _ and-” she hung her head in shame. “You deserve to be angry with me.”

Varian scoffed. “I didn’t know I needed your  _ permission  _ to be angry at you, but sure, thank you, Your  _ Majesty _ .” he stopped suddenly, wrapping his arms around himself in a hug. “But… but you can say that. You can say that a hundred times over, but it will  _ never  _ change the fact that my father is still trapped in an unbreakable prison. It won’t change the fact that my village is still destroyed by black rocks. It still won’t change the fact that-that you- that I can never come home because-  _ my dad _ \- BECAUSE YOU MADE ME A VILLAN!” he glared fiercely at his old friends, speaking softly now. “And it won’t change the fact that Stalyan and the Baron had been more of a family to me than you ever were. So the only reason that I will  _ ever  _ leave this place with you is if you’re carrying me out by  _ my dead corpse _ .”

Rapunzel took a shocked step back. Varian’s words sent shivers down her spine, but before she could do anything, Stalyan spoke.

“I think that’s your cue to leave.” the woman said, a smug look on her face. She made a shooing motion like they were children and grinned. “Go on, I think Varian’s just fine where he is.” but Varian barely heard her. He could barely register their fleeting figures until he had collapsed on the ground, legs no longer able to support him. He just felt… num. What had he just done?

“Hey, kid.” and suddenly Stalyan was there, wrapping her arms around his trembling figure. He distantly wondered why he felt surprised, but he was just to exhausted to care. “I’m really proud of you. What you just did… it couldn’t have been easy to let all that out.”

“’m sorry,” he told her quietly. “Didn’t mean to yell, I was just so… angry. They hurt me, and… I didn’t want to go…” he stopped talking when she pressed his face onto her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Varian, you didn’t do anything wrong.” she squeezed him tighter. “They aren’t going to hurt you  _ ever again. _ ”

\-------------


	2. My House, My Rules

\-------------

Y’know, before Rapunzel showed up, Varian was having a good day. He had just finished installing the plumbing in Sister Stimle’s home and her children had made him some cookies to give out to the kids at  _ his  _ household. It was a really sweet sentiment, something that he needed at the moment. And, of course, Oak had entered his life.

“So… I can stay?” the girl asked hesitantly. She had shown up on his doorstep beside the Captain last night, he was told that she had been caught stealing a few apples, and it had become a sort of… tradition that any orphan thieves be turned over to him. Ever since he started up this place, his little family had only grown during the last three years.

“If you want, yes.” he was speaking to her now. The girl was still a bit suspicious of his offer to stay, which was to be expected. No one ever flat-out took in his offer of a home right away. “But if you want to leave, I won’t stop you. However, I don’t think a life of crime is something that most people find tempting.” he shrugged his shoulders. “But to each their own, as the saying goes. Martian  _ is  _ making taco soup for lunch if you feel enticed to stay for that, however.”

She narrowed her eyes at him but was interrupted by her stomach growling and Varian didn’t hesitate to toss her a green apple. She paused.”I don’t believe it. Do you think I’m that stupid? No one in their right mind would accept a pick-pocket into their home.”

He smiled. “All who enter my family are granted a pardon from the Captain, so you won’t have to worry about that. But, if you don’t want it, I’m not going to force it on you.” he turned away and began to mix two chemicals. “You would have to help me out in the shop though. All people under my roof have to pull their own weight. You’d have a paid job, and a roof to sleep under. Unless, if you want, I could give you a purse of coin, and send you on your merry way.”

“Ah HA!” Oak snapped and pointed an accusing finger at him. “You’d like me to think that, wouldn’t you? Then you’d just accuse me of theft and send the guards after me!”

Varian turned to look at her, it never got easy for him for how society had shaped these kids to be so distrustful. “No, I wouldn’t,” he told her. “I’d  _ never  _ do that to you, or anyone else, I promise you that Oak. Now, please, eat that apple before you get too hungry.” he smiled down at her, then pulled out a leather sack and placed it on the counter where she could easily grab it. 

Oak stared at the sack for a second before taking it and peeking inside. She looked up at him. “You… honestly want to help me, don’t you?”

“I do,” he told her. “I know what it’s like to be in your position. All you want is for someone to help, but no one does. I was lucky enough to have my sister’s help when I needed it, but a lot of kids don’t have someone to be with then like that.” he looked her dead in the eye. “I’m willing to be yours.”

She looked down at the bag in her hands. Then, after a moment of consideration, she looked up at him again. “I… I just don’t know if I'm ready.”

“That’s fine,” he told her. “No one needs you to be ready when you’re not, but I’ll be here when you are.”

“I… thank you.” she gave him a small smile and, with the sack in hand, headed out the door.

He looked after her retreating figure for a moment before speaking. “It’s very rude to eavesdrop, we were having a nice conversation, which  _ you _ were never meant for.”

He heard a heavy sigh and a figure darkened the shop’s doorway. “Varian, we need to talk.”

“Sure,” he agreed. “Because I  _ believe  _ I told you never to speak to me again, but I’m not very surprised that you refused even that.” he still didn’t look at the figure as he fixed his goggles over his eyes and began to pour the purple chemical in a ball to complete the pacifistic weapon. 73 down, 15 more to go until he would have everything ready for Josephine’s weekly pick-up. “How did you find me anyway?”

“Vex told us where you’d be.” a different voice told him and another figure entered the room. “She seemed to think it might be helpful for all of us to-”

“Well she was wrong.” he interrupted. “But how are she and Stalyan doing by the way? I didn’t get a reply to my last letter yet.”

Another sigh. “They’re doing fine, now can we talk?”

“I kinda had the impression that we already  _ were, _ ” he smirked when he sensed them roll their eyes. “But sure, as long as you leave right after. I don’t want you to wake anyone.”

Another person entered the room and scoffed, and this time, Varian tensed, and he shifted into a more defensible position. What was  _ she  _ doing here? “Like  _ we’d  _ be the ones to wake them up.”

“Get  _ out.” _

The woman had the decency to look ashamed. Good. He could work with that. “Varian, I promise you, I’ve  _ changed.  _ And I have no intention of hurting anyone ever again. I… I’ve had some time to think about what happened and I was wrong to force the incantation out of you and-”

“Well, not that I trust your promises as far as I can throw you  _ Cassie _ , but…  _ good for you _ . I sure hope that you were able to get the  _ help  _ you needed. Now,” Varian finally snapped and set his tools down angrily ”What. Do. You.  _ Want?” _ Glaring at them, he could only find it in himself to be the least bit cautious. These were the people who ruined his life. These were the people who’d lied, hurt, and abandoned him, and now they had come back.

Rapunzel, now almost unrecognizable without her legendary blonde hair, held up her hand in surrender. “Look, I know we’ve had our differences, but we need your help.”

Varian rolled his eyebrows and huffed. “Why does  _ that  _ not surprise me?”

The princess ignored his comment and continued. “A group of separatists has taken over Corona. They’ve taken the king and queen hostage, and we need you and your weapons to-”

“Ah, the Saporians, nice people,  _ very _ intelligent.” he interrupted her. Smirking at the surprised looks on their faces, he continued. “They stopped by a few months ago, purchased a few items to help fix their airship. Amazing piece of work that is. Traded a few alchemical recipes for the blueprints.”

Rapunzel got over her shock and her eyes narrowed in a glare. “You… Varian, did you  _ help them  _ take over Corona? _ ” _

“Oh please, don’t flatter the people you’re trying to take down. If I actually did, you wouldn’t be here,” he noted bluntly and started mixing his chemicals again, finding a bit of peace of letting his words irritate the princess and her friends seemingly effortlessly. “And what makes you think I’d help?”

But the princess  _ did  _ relax a bit, so  _ maybe  _ he wasn’t pushing hard enough. “Because I know that somewhere in there is still the boy who wanted to do  _ anything  _ to save his home. I know that  _ my friend  _ is still in there. What you’ve been doing here in Koto with the orphans proves just that!” 

She licked her lips and swallowed, cooling her now-dry throat. “And… your dad misses you  _ so much  _ Varian,” the princess was too caught up in her speech that she missed Varian’s small form tense, rigid at the mention of his father. “And he’s there now, helping the people fight against them.” she sighed. “I know you won’t do this for me… Or the crown. But _ so many _ people need you right now. So…  _ please  _ Varian. We can’t do this without you.”

Varian didn’t say anything for a while, working on his goop traps as his guests became increasingly nervous, waiting for his answer. And he let them wait, almost to the point where he almost forgot they were there, wishing for a moment that they would finally crack and give him even more reasons to refuse, but they didn’t say anything else, just pulling up a chair as they waited for his reply. Even Ca- even the lady-in-waiting was quiet, which he thought was the most unnerving of the three.

But still, he said nothing, and so they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Varian finally finished his last goop trap and scooped the small pile into his handbag. He then barely acknowledged them as he limped over to the entrance of the living quarters. Only pausing a bit a the door and jerking his head for them to follow him in. And they did. Without hesitation even, but that didn’t quell the queasy feeling inside him, warning him to throw them out. To tell them that they weren’t wanted here. That they should leave, and that they would  _ never  _ hurt him, or his family again. But they followed, and he led them inside.

“Do be quiet, will you?” he asked them. “We have children sleeping in their rooms.” They nodded, and he led them slowly down the bedroom hallway, refusing the princess’ offer of help when he had to lean on the wall for a moment. His leg  _ was  _ going to get better. He had to believe that. He just had to be patient. But he did have to lean on his staff heavily for a moment. Just because he wasn’t an old man, didn’t mean that having a walking stick at hand wasn’t useful at times. Or... all the time now that he thought about it. But that  _ didn’t  _ make him weak.

Opening the door at the end to reveal their workspace, he gave his guests a moment to take it all in. It was a humble room, nothing grand, but it did take his breath away every time he entered it. With chemicals lining the walls along with beakers and flasks of every kind. Tools neatly stacked in their proper place covered a table on the left side. The crew was hard at work there, mixing and testing solutions, but he could spot Seth working on his little project on the other side of the room.

Shuffling over to the boy, he lightly tapped on his shoulder and peered at what he was doing. “Nice job Seth, keep up the good work.” he tilted his head. “If you place a screw there, it will likely make things a bit too tight, so just a heads up, and please, I gave you goggles for a reason kid! Wear them!” he ruffled the boy’s hair playfully and the child nodded, a smile on his face as he hastened to obey Varian’s advice.

“Who’s that?” the lady-in-waiting asked as they walked away from the boy and his work.

“I don’t think you need to know. And, in case you were thinking about it, if you even  _ suggest  _ the notion of hurting anyone of my kids  _ Cassie _ , the Saporians will be the least of your worries. You wouldn’t even make it out the door.”

Clearing his throat, he led them to a door at the end of the room and they followed him up a small staircase to the loading station.

“Hey, Nico! I got the last goop balls for Josephine’s pick-up! Where would you like them to go?”

The brunette boy raised one eyebrow at Varian’s company but didn’t say anything. “Just set them in the crate over there, she’ll be here in an hour.”

Varian nodded and shuffled over to the crate. It was already open so he began to gently place a goop trap into the crate. “It’s rude to stare.” His guests hadn’t taken their eyes off Nico for a moment.

“I’m sorry, but…” Eugene trailed off. “I just thought that all your ‘kids’ were younger than you.”

Varian raised an eyebrow but didn’t stop his work. “Nico’s second in command. He’s my brother, I’d do anything for him. And just because he’s older, doesn’t mean that I can’t take care of him.”

“Wow… you really started a life for yourself here, huh?” the princess chuckled a bit nervously. “And here I thought that you’d-” she stopped herself. “-Live in a place with more… alchemists and inventors like yourself.”

“I didn’t move here for me,” he told her quietly. “Out of all the seven kingdoms, the number of children being thrown in prison here…” he looked down. “Well, it’s not as much as Corona was when you were in the tower, but this place comes in a close second.”

Rapunzel wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. “I am not proud of what my father did, but he’s trying to change.” she met Cass’s eyes. “We all are.”

He looked at them, trying to see if they were lying or not before he placed the last purple trap in the crate.

“So am I.” he drummed his fingers on the crate for a bit. “Which is why I can’t help you, princess, I need to be here for my family. ”

The princess stopped, staring at him in shock. “But… Varian  _ please,  _ I-”

“If I help you, the Saporians  _ will  _ find out,” he interrupted. “That alone puts everyone in this building in danger of attack.”

“We won’t let that happen,” she told him stubbornly, but Varian shook his head.

“It’s beyond your control princess.” he stood up and shuffled away, leaving the group to catch up. “But, if you  _ really  _ need it, I know how I can help.” He didn’t look back at them, but kept his gaze forward, traveling up a spiral staircase to another of his workrooms. 

His building had two stories, with the biggest rooms for experimenting and work. But everyone needed a place to sleep, so he picked out the largest building he could find, an abandoned church building that was at least a century old, but it still had good structure. The bedrooms used to be full of spiderwebs and rats, but, with the help of both the townsfolk and the Baron’s crew. They all pitched in, which was a relief. It was comforting to know that there were people who supported what he was doing.

And it wasn’t just cleaning they helped out with. It came in all sorts of forms. Snacks, supplies, tools… some people even made small coin donations. But… certain  _ others _ weren’t so supportive of his business. There was some sabotage, he won’t deny it, some of the offenders even decided they might try and take Varian himself out of the picture, or even incapacitate his abilities to an extent.

One attempt didn’t fail.

His stomach churned at the memory of the audible  _ snap  _ that signaled the rope being cut, the crate blocking out the sun as it descended onto him. They had the intent to kill, but the shadow gave its position away. He was able to survive, but not without sustaining critical damage to his left leg. When it had crushed his bones, he remembered how couldn’t stop screaming. The pain made him hysterical and, afterward, he distantly remembered laughing as his friends struggled to find a way to reach him. It took even longer for them to find a way to get the thing off him, and by the time he was out, the perpetrators had already escaped. They said that he had finally passed out after he took one look at his leg’s broken form, which honestly, for him, wasn’t that hard to believe.

When they had found out who had caused it, Stalyan was furious. She and some other allies had taken the men to trial, and he didn’t know all the details, he was too “busy” with his recovery to get any answers out of his frequent visitors. But he  _ was  _ able to finally convince Stalyan to allow him a strictly 5-minute talk with his attackers. He felt a bit at peace when he finally understood their reasons for why they did it. In fact, he had felt even _ more  _ motivated to kick-start his project. To prove them all wrong. That child  _ could  _ be  _ so much  _ more if they were given the chance.

Take Mikelle for example.

“Morning V!” his voice called down from the rafters. “Who’s your new friends?”

“Just some new employers,” he answered back. “Think you could come down for a sec?”

“Uh… kinda in the middle of something here.”

Varian sighed. “You’re stuck again, aren’t you?”

He heard the boy stutter. “What? No! Of course not-.” A heavy sigh. “Yes. A little help?”

Varian chuckled. “I’m coming, just hold on tight.”

“Varian, your leg… You know you’re not supposed to-”

“-Just a second!” he limped over to the ladder and began his climb up it. Ignoring his leg’s groan of a feeble protest, he was able to successfully climb up and spotted Mikelle sitting a few yards away. And, as he expected, was holding on the support beams for dear life.

“Why do you keep coming up here if you know you won’t be able to get down?” Varian chuckled and shook his head, maneuvering across a large gap between the beams.

“Varian, you shouldn’t be up here.” Mikelle ignored his mentor’s question. “If you relapse-”

“It’s going to be fine,” he assured him. “I haven’t had one in weeks!” The boy frowned but said nothing until Varian finally reached his position. 

“There was a spot of mold on one on the roof tiles.” he pointed to a carved-out place in the ceiling. “I cut it out, but then I couldn’t figure out a way to… I just keep thinking I can do it, but the gap is too wide and…” he looked down in shame. “I really thought I had it this time.”

Varian smiled at the boy. “It’s ok, heights  _ can  _ be scary. But you really should’ve notified someone else that you were up here.” he looked at the small pile of moldy wooden shavings on the beam they were on currently. “You really should have brought a mask. Mold spores can be dangerous if you breathe too much in.”

The boy sighed. “Are you going to help me or not?”

Varian smirked and gently took Mikelle’s hand. “You’re gonna have to stand up, alright buddy?” he asked and the kid nodded shakily and pushed himself up.

Then immediately went back to hugging the support beam.

“Ok, I’m going to go first, and then you’ll follow after, got it?” Varian stepped over the gap and grabbed onto the vertical beam. Holding out his hand, he nodded for Mikelle to grab onto it and the boy was suddenly at his side. They continued that down the row until they had finally reached the ladder and they climbed down it. 

“Hi!” Mikelle raced over to where Rapunzel and Eugene were standing. Where had Cassandra gone? “I’m Mikelle, it’s so nice to meet you!”

The princess smiled and took his extended hand, shaking it. “I’m Rapunzel, and this is my husband Eugene.”

He tensed. “Wait,  _ you’re  _ Rapunzel?” he narrowed his eyes and revoked his hand. “I kinda pictured your hair to be… longer.”

“Oh!” she fingered her brown hair tips subconsciously. “I… had to cut it to stop a mad demon.” she sighed. “It’s a long story.”

He tilted his head at that. “Zhan Tiri? What about the Moonstone witch? What did you do about her?” he frowned. “And weren’t there three of you?”

“ _ Moonstone witch?”  _ Cassandra’s voice sounded from the weapons’ wall. She had been observing a black sword from its place on the anvil. “Well, that’s a little harsh.”

The kid scowled. “And that was you, I presume?”

“Not the time for that Mikelle,” Varian laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “But these guys have a separatist problem, and it’s our job to give them a bit of help, right?”

“The Saporians?  _ Seriously? _ ” the boy sighed when Varian nodded. “Well isn’t that just  _ perfect _ .” he scowled. “Those guys are the  _ worst. _ ”

Varian chuckled. “Oh come on, they weren’t  _ that  _ bad.”

“Oh really?” scoffing, the teen walked over to his work station and pulled open a drawer, taking out a sickeningly-familiar stick with a pink gem in the pommel. “Remember this?”

“Yeah!” Varian grinned at him in a teasing way. “It paved the way for inspiration for-” he stopped himself. “But that’s not what these people have come for. Have anything on how to take back a throne from them?”

Yong grinned. “I have a few ideas…”

\--------

“Now remember our agreement,” Varian warned the group as they saddled back onto their horses. 

“We’ll send the package to you by Owl as soon as we can,” Eugene assured him.

Varian nodded and waved them goodbye, the group beginning to leave his home, but one remained behind.

Repressing a sigh, he raised an eyebrow. “Need something else princess?”

She looked down. “It… was good to see you again Varian. I... just wish we could’ve met on better terms.”

He inwardly groaned. “Rapunzel, I  _ really  _ don’t have time for your-”

“I’m sorry!” she blurted out and Varian froze. “I… I really am.” she wrapped her arms around herself. “I… I know that you won’t have any reason to forgive me, but… I am. And.. I’ve been  _ trying  _ to do better. But…” she let out a small laugh. “I just keep feeling this… ache inside. I just keep feeling that you deserved better. That… that I should have done more. And- storm it, Varian! I hate myself for what happened between us and-”

“I’m not going to ever fully forgive you.” he deadpanned but sighed heavily when Rapunzel winced. “Look, I really appreciate you freeing my dad, I really do, but…” he took in a deep breath, calming himself. “It wasn’t just you. The kingdom of Corona hurt me Rapunzel. You might not like it, but I already told you. I can’t come home. No one will accept me again and it might not be all your fault, but you still played a part in my unofficial exile.”

She frowned in confusion. “But you-”

“I’m helping you because I run a business now.” he tapped his finger, suddenly impatient for the princess to leave. “If I’m going to run it well, then I can’t let personal feelings get in the way of doing my job.” he patted the sack of gold coins they had given him. It wasn’t nearly enough to cover their expenses, but once they got the royal treasury back, he would be able to sleep soundly knowing that the payment would help a  _ lot  _ with his new home.

Rapunzel looked disappointed, but that didn’t faze him. He didn’t have to worry about what she thought of him anymore. She wasn’t his friend, heck, she wasn’t even his  _ princess  _ anymore.

“I think it’s just best that we keep each other at a distance,” he informed her. “Besides, my place is here, in Koto, with my family.” he looked up at her on the horse. “However… If you really need it, I do forgive you.” 

With her confused eyebrow raise, he went on. “In a small, tiny way I can understand why you didn’t care about my safety. You were a princess. I was a boy from a tiny village that had a problem you didn’t want to solve so you wanted to forget about it. I understand now that you didn’t know about your father chasing me around, and that doesn’t excuse you abandoning me, but I’m willing to move on.” his lips turned upward in a small smile before he held out his hand to her, a gesture that she was shocked by, but all too happy to accept. “That being said, how about we settle as partners? You know after this saporian thing’s blown over.”

Rapunzel couldn’t help but have her shoulders sag with relief. “Deal, and hey, don’t be a stranger if you need anything alright? I- I’d like to do anything I can to help this place- and you grow.”

He suddenly felt himself grinning as their hands released. “Maybe someday, but for now, I’m going to need that pardon and coins asap. If the town Marshal finds out about my criminal record, this place is done for.” he shuddered. It hurt him to think about what might happen to his kids if Marshal had his way. Locked behind bars and left to slowly be driven into a hole so deep they might never come out from.

Then Rapunzel nodded seriously and he felt his worries flee a bit. This time… this time she wouldn’t betray him if she could help it. He could see it in her eyes. He was giving her the chance to make things up to him and she wouldn’t let him down again. Not if she could help it that is.

“I won’t keep you waiting long,” she told him firmly, smirking the tiniest bit and pulling out a paper from her satchel. “Besides, once these blueprints show us how to take down the airship without it exploding in our faces, the Saporians will be a piece of cake.”

He let out a chuckle before waving her goodbye, watching her ride off to catch up with the group and his smile widened when he heard a soft snap of a twig behind him.

He turned around and faced a small bush, placing his hands on his waist and grinning. “You can come out now! They’re gone.”

Oak huffed as she patted out of the brush. “I thought I was being sneaky.”

He raised his eyebrow teasingly, offering his hand, which she took, and limped slightly as he lead her toward the house. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have time to work on that after dinner. Now common, we have some soup to eat.”


End file.
